The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1887-10-27
LAsy tuR lHt
How the Public Lands were Squani-
cred under Republican Rule.
And How a Democratic Admini-
stration Restores tho Public
Domain to the People.
-s-ES

q
stration Restores tho Public
Domain to the People.
The Republican party, almost from
the day that it came into power, bega-
the work OF giving away the public land
10 railroad and land sharks OF ev>ry lie
scription. The rights interests, gn
welfare of the people were totally disre-
sarded by the Republican party. Sal
the Hon. s NJ. Stockslaser, member OF
the Forty-cighth Congress from Indiana
''T'he American people were amaze
when they learned that on the Isl day OF
July, 1872, just forty-one days after the
homestead law was approved, the same
Congress, with a reckless disregard OF
their own action never before witnessed,
granted to the Union and Pacific Rail
roads magnificent belt of land forty
miles wide, extending from tn. Missouri
River to near the Bay of San Francisco,
and containing to the Union Pacific 49,
Il5,G01 acres and to the Central Pacific
15.26A01o acres. Thus the homestea
law, by which the millions OF acres of
unsettled land were pledged to the
people as heritage to the actual sett'e
to the men OF toll who would cultivate
Them anil make them blossom and bloom
and bear fruit-was violated, disregard
ed. and set aside, and most gigantic
system of reckless squandering OF the
lands inaugurated. This WAS an entire
change in our land system, 10th in the
manner OF dispos!n2 OF the public lands
and OF the amounts to be given. Before
that date not a single acre o. the public
CONAN WIS ever granted to i railroad or
other corporation. Donations OF the pub
III; lands had been made from time to
time to the States, aggregating i'll all
81 ,t30, SIS acres. for the purpose OF being
disposed OF by the States in aid of educa-
ton, for military roads, for internal i'm
provements, AMI for railroads. But the
grants were all to the States"
The Republican party has heen from
the first the monopoist party. 1t has
sought in every possible WAY to create
an aris:ocratic class, based upon wealth.
1t has not only robbed the peopie OF their
lands 10 create landed aristocracy as
crushing as that of England, Scotland,
and Ireland, but it has sought by tariff
protection to enrich the few by burden
ing the poor with enormous taxation
upon the prime necessities OF life. There
is no more vital question than that which
relates to the public lands, the public
broad acres designed by a
-beneiicent Providence for the homes OF
the people. The Republican party has
from the first ignored the people; it has
legislated for the land-grabber, the land
thief, the land monopolist the landed
aristocrat. and this policy of the Re-
publican party was kept up until 200,-
00o,c00 acres of land was granite to rail-
road corporations. Says Mr.. Stockslager,
now acting Land Commissioner, in his
speech in the Fortyeiehth Congress:
The mind is staggered i'll an effort to
contemplate this imperial estate granted
to great corporations. 1t can Ony be
grasped by comparison. You can carve
out OF it 1,2jQ000 homestea!s of on,
hundred and sixty acres each. 1t is
equal to two hundred and forty Stat
the size OF Rhode Island. 1t is equa, in
;srcl 10 seven States like Penrsylv.:ni,,
with her 45,2l3 square miles; four an
one-half times as large as all the New
England States; equal to the t'.irt.en
original States, which have 204,0li ,2S9
acres. The total area OF Great Births
and Ireland is Il, ,l31 500 acres, o. bu:
little more than one-tilir,l these grilts
ThsreisIlot among al the enlightened
nations OF modern Europe one that HI.
ssT area which equals that OF our r4ilroa
kings. The empire OF Austria Hungary
and the Kingdom OF Italy, WITH S,yt tz-r |
land and the Netherlands I'D lei, hi,
an ares of only 251,0l2,620 IL rs-s. Tn
creation lv law of this most gigantic I'm
the word has ever rn mn
n the very nature OF things be ieit u,
Our in>ttu ions and upon cur paup
The eyanP of the Federal Cio:cr;i.a
las been followed by some
SfateS, which haSe granted in.liinls
ecres Of their public lands t. r.;
or sold them iii lar q Ia ::
10 individuals. All the barrier: h,
been 1:r5xn down. and foreign =
domestic capitalists haze been rca;.;,is
r;rh harvest for Themselves IL
Turch:::.c o; vast ar.Es OF lanl. T.:
;a- rs the people are concc-nrl -
their unworthy rerres nt,i.
have sown the wind, and they :re lr.
na,i TO reap the whirlwind.
The Democratic party is now Eng
anI has been engaged at all times ~
an opportunity offered, to pit so,
the slusnlering of the public lai.is
the Republican party, and now th,:
has the power to stop the stu;,e IL
wrong it is regainins some of the Ia
The Republican party bes'oxe,i IL
railroad corporations, AMI with l.
been forfeit "a. 4 Washington Ii p
OF recent date saws the Assistant a.
Commissioner has issued orders rcla.i,
70 the land of the Atlantic AMI Iaci.i
Railroad, anil also in reference tu th.
Florida Railway and Navigation a;,d :i,..
Gulf and Ship Island halfway ts;.,-
p2nies, whose land grants all lie in Iaio~i-
"a, and also TO the Missouri, Kansas AMI
Texas. According to the estimates ma
the Atlantic and P.,.isi,. or t.
throws open to settlement 2o.01f, H.
acreS, and the orders to the Flori.lr "a
way and Navigation Company an Ia
C;uif and Ship Island Railway Conp.ni,-s-
viii largely increase the amount o. i'm
restored to the people, AMI the po icy
now being pursued by the Derocriti,-
will result in the s. itu
on OF fully 5a,0oa,0J0 acres OF the public
.ailds TO the people, and open them to
homestead settlement, enough for :1I2,-
so farms OF loo acres each, a hundred
thousand more farms than there are in
l.iiana OF all sizes.
These are subjects which the people
ran a;iorI 10 take into consideration.
:. hey will discover, on the one hand, the
party throwing away the
copies land, bestowing it on railroad
,2rporations, seeking to build up land
Il ifiStocracy, while the Democratic
3sgty is resolved by every lawful means
. give as much as possible of the pub
q land back to the people, the rightfui
wnars of the acres
The following is statement, prepared
y Acting Land Commissioner Stocks
as,er showing the estimated number of
cres restored to the public domain under
iae order of the Secretary of the Interior,
,=teI August Is, II, an;l Il, 1857, re-
.'sain, the in lemnity Withdrawals for
'ie h.ne-it OF certain railroads AMI wa-ol
oI.is:
S--'iei Location Nun:,a- OF
." %. Blank.
Esai. Lands. reri t .Tel
i -. AlaiInIt.. ... .5;.J
: =. - Arkansas. ta.Oo1 49,.
----.- y. Mexico C5g~1
Arizona I.5,iOJJ ,T,,sl
-. California l,rJe-3
y -. Wisconsin -.-..... f'5af1
: :. NJ. Micii=.ra No est ye.. li;r..
< y. -. Fi.ri Ia = . 3in
To- - - Ei->i-Sipri ... -
: 4. ! .. Mich. Z. =. ..... A..
- \ x - k in-i> - .,
I--. :. i;-T : All INA. No ess
. : , I'D: . ''ui>itni sJlc-